Captured Lulzsec Hacker On Life Without The Internet

Scottish teenager Jake Davis, one of two Lulzsec-associates arrested over the hacking of websites including the CIA, Pentagon, News International, and Sony, may face decades in prison if he is extradited to the United States. Right now Davis is free on bail but forbidden to use the internet. Discussing the experience via the Guardian, he sounds like someone freed from shackles:

The last time I was allowed to access the internet was several moments before the police came through my door in the Shetland Isles, over a year ago. During the past 12 months I have pleaded guilty to computer misuse under the banners of “Internet Feds”, “Anonymous” and “LulzSec”.

I’m often asked: what is life like without the net? In a word, life is serene. I now find myself reading newspapers as though they weren’t ancient scrolls; entering real shops with real money in order to buy real products…Nothing needs to be captioned or made into an elaborate joke to impress a citizenry whose every emotion is represented by a sequence of keystrokes.

It is not so much the sudden simplicity of daily life – as you can imagine, trivial tasks have been made much more difficult – but the feeling of being able to close my eyes without being bombarded with flashing shapes or constant buzzing sounds, which had occurred frequently since my early teens. Sleep is now tranquil and uninterrupted and books seem far more interesting. The paranoia has certainly vanished. I can only describe this sensation as the long-awaited renewal of a previously diminished attention span.

A miracle cure or some kind of therapeutic brilliance are not something I could give, but I can confidently say that a permanent lack of internet has made me a more fulfilled individual.

It’s only when you step back from this electronic-digital addiction that you realize how bad it can be…

Even without a smartphone, iPad, Kindle, etc. and limiting my television viewing to about ten hours a week (easy enough, as the content is mostly shit) I still find myself spending WAY too much time on the Web, and on the computer in general; often doing something “worthwhile” like writing or “exploring my creativity,” but still…

Every time I tell myself: “Two hours per day, max,” I find myself breaking the agreement.

What the fuck has gotten ahold of us? What’s the big appeal?

(The irony of posting this comment on a website using my computer isn’t lost on me.)

I_abide

I equate it to a combination of an escape and a need to feel connected.

I spend way too much time on a computer between work and home but by the end of the day when I do have free time it’s already 9pm and I can’t really do much either than read, surf the web, or watch TV and even with 9billion channels TV sucks.

Richterbass

it’s simply the abundance of knowlege and random facts of other people… the appeal… our curiousity to learn more… despite whether the information gathered is valuable or not.

Nirvanasteve

I agree with you but wouldn’t include the Kindle in your little list. Unless you’re talking about the Kindle Fire, the regular Kindles are simply used for reading ebooks, which hardly counts as ‘electronic-digital addiction’, unless you read a ton of them regularly in which case good on you, because how often do you see people reading anymore? I think of the device as more of a portable library.

No, I don’t work for Amazon (honest!). I just really enjoy the fact that I can read out-of-copyright material for free without killing my eyes like when you stare at a computer monitor for too long. Hurrah for pre-1920s literature!

BrianApocalypse

I know that during moments where I’ve been unable to get online (due to malfunctioning hardware etc), there is a period when I feel very frustrated and lost, but then I find myself sitting around wondering what to do… and usually this results in things like picking up that book I still haven’t finished, or getting on with that creative project I mean to do every day…

I dread to think how much more productive I could have been over the years if I hadn’t messed around on the internet so much. I think net-life delivers a kind of electronic placebo of satisfaction, instantaneous and on demand, but without lasting fulfillment.

But I’m not going to deny that it’s still one of the best things ever invented.

And with that, time to get on with that project!

…Wait! A cat dressed like R2D2!? YES!

Ted Heistman

Hope he can enjoy life and not have to go to jail…

Nirvanasteve

Yeah, I was thinking that it’s great and all he found this internet-free sense of serenity, but I doubt the zen will last when he’s stuck in a concrete hole for decades.

Guest

nah… but srsly – its sux big time

http://www.facebook.com/firebrand.central Firebrand Central

This is one of the hackers in ‘Anonymous’ that Sabu snitched on. Sabu ratted on his family and his arrogance and boasting is what got him caught. http://www.firebrandcentral.com